The Mysterious Beginning
by Rei Minamino
Summary: Zuko's past haunts him once again, but with a particular female keep coming to his mind. Who is she and how is she helpful in the war that lasted for over hundred years?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or Sailor Moon._

_Hi! It's me. Yes, I have updated in a while but I wanted to do a Avatar story badly so here it is!_

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_The crowd grew larger and larger as the fight became more impressing. In the center of the crowd was a ring where two females opponents faced off. The firebenders watched amazingly as one female knocked her foe out of the ring with a powerful fire blast. The crowd cheered wildly as the female victor displayed a cocky smirk and rested her hands on her hips. She was undefeatable! There was no one who could beat her now! Her smirk grew as the crowd yelled her name, praising her for her awesome powers and strength, the complete opposite of her brother. Princess Azula! Princess Azula! Yes, that was her name! _

_11-year-old Prince Zuko growled within his throat at the arrogance that his sister showed. His father, Fire Lord Ozai, clapped his hands in approval. His daughter was surely the best female in the village and hosted this little tournament so he could prove that his daughter was the best female in the nation and rise his daughter's fame. Zuko lowered his head in disappointment. He knew his father thought lowly of him and knew Azula was his favorite. He wished his sister would have met her match and lost, but found that dream far away. If only mother was here..._

"_Anyone else dare challenge me?" the 10-year-old princess suggested as every female turned their heads away. Someone would be a fool to fight this beast. The young girl was powerful and even beaten the female adult masters. Azula laughed to herself, seeing the fear in everyone's faces, exactly what she wanted. _

"_I will fight you," a timid, determined voice stated. Azula's eyes widen in surprise along with everyone else's, not thinking anyone would challenge her. Her shock soon wore off after staring at the conditions of her opponent. A peasant girl with messy black hair that flowed to her waist with purple steaks and ragged clothing, a torn shirt-dress. Her amethyst eyes were filled with determination as she spread her bare feet in an offensive stance. Apparently, she was of the same age as she. "Are you ready?"_

_Azula held back a laugh, biting down on her lower lip. Was this girl serious? All her dozens of opponents were of the middle-class; someone who could pay for lessons, but this...this was pathetic! Why should she even waste her time, still, she never turned down a fight, not even for this stupid reasoning._

"_Your death wish," Azula answered as she too, stood in a offensive stance as she always did. She was quite surprise to she the peasant in an offensive stance then a defensive one._

_Zuko blinked in confusion, what was this girl thinking? He heard his father chuckle, finding this very entertaining. Zuko turned his attention back to the strange and predictable fight. Why did this peasant girl just challenge her? Maybe for the reward...maybe she just wanted to try and earn some money...even if it was life-threatening. He was glad that he did not have to go through things like that._

_Azula charged first, swinging her leg to send a blade of fire toward her opponent. The peasant jumped up and sent a fireball towards the princess. Easily dodging it, she charged towards her again and threw massive amounts of fire strikes at her. The girl dodged them with ease, flipping and twirling like air and water, gracefully._

_Zuko's face lit up with joy, was his sister finally going to meet her match. Never have he seen a female dodge with such grace and beauty! He saw his father sit alertly in his seat. He watched as the peasant stepped back and leap forward, sending equal amounts of fire back at the princess. Her eyes widen in amusement as she too had to dodge and destroy the fire that roared towards her. No way was she fighting this hard just to beat a peasant girl! A peasant girl out of all people!_

_Azula avoided the last fireball and swung her arms in the air. When she stopped, she yelled and sent towards the girl a gigantic fireball that caused the spectators to run away from the ring. Zuko's eyes widen in pure horror as he saw the girl just stand there as the giant fireball hurled towards her. His father rested back in his chair, seeing that the match was set. Zuko groaned in disappointment as Azula smirked victoriously as the fire made contact with the peasant. He could hear the people muttered how she tried and how her death was lost foolishly. Suddenly, a loud scream was erupted from the ring. Fearing it was the girl, Zuko closed his eyes in horror, but quickly opened them when he felt his father jump out of his seat with a gasp._

_Azula fell backwards as she was stroke in the chest with a large fireball. Everyone stared in confusion and fright as the princess hit the ground with a loud thump. The fire disappeared from were the peasant girl was standing. There, in a large purple barrier, was the peasant in a offensive stance, her hands thrust in front of her._

_Everything fell silent as the peasant walked to the moaning Azula who clenched her chest in pain. Stepping on her stomach and outstretching her hand to the injured female's face, she whispered, "I win."_

_No one dared to clap or cheer, afraid of what the lord would do. The peasant girl turned to face him, her bare foot and hand still near the princess. She spotted Zuko with an overjoyed expression upon his face. "I want the reward."_

_The Fire Lord stared in disbelief at what he was looking at. How could...this was impossible! This was of trickery and trickery alone! "You get nothing!"_

"_But I-"_

"_No buts! If you do not leave, I shall have you severely punished!"_

_What! The girl could not believe her ears. She defeated his daughter fair and square and knew she deserved that reward. Seeing the soldiers slowing advancing towards her, she grunted and dashed out of the ring and into the forest._

_Zuko, finding it the right time to leave, quickly snuck away and followed the girl. He watched as everyone ran to the princess, screaming was she alright. She respond by blasting them all away from her and walking back to the palace, their father right behind her. Zuko ran for awhile, finding himself becoming tired. No, he was going to keep going and prove that he was not weak._

_The prince suddenly stopped when he stumbled upon an old, small shrine. He examined it, wandering where the peasant girl went to. Then, a fireball hit him square in the back, causing him to fall flat on his face. _

"_What do you want? Do you come to kill me for defeating that cocky princess?" the peasant girl shouted as she stood in the same stance she was in when she defeated Azula._

"_No, I come in peace, I wanted to thank you!" Zuko exclaimed and slowly sat up and faced the peasant girl. He watched as she stared at him with anger filled, protective eyes._

"_Why?" she asked, not quite understanding the reasoning._

"_Well-"_

"_Rei!" a woman's voice called. Zuko turned to see a woman stand at the entrance of the shrine. Her face was pale and she wore an old kimono. Her hair was twice as long as her daughter and her dark amethyst eyes were filled with fear and worry. "How could you attack the prince? You could get us killed for that!"_

"_He was trespassing mother," the peasant girl, Rei, stated and crossed her arms grudgingly. _

"_Please, come in and have some tea?" Rei's mother asked nervously, fearing that the prince would go and tell the Fire Lord of their behavior towards him. Zuko eyed them both carefully and nodded slowly, finding it the perfect time to explain his coming._

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"_I see," Rei's mother, Reinala, stated as she poured Zuko more tea. They sat in a room only lit with the help of the sun. There was only a small, torn rug by the door and a small table in the middle. Rei sipped at her tea carefully, eyeing Zuko every chance she got. She did not care for his long-life dream coming true, all she cared for was her reward money._

"_Rei, I sent you out for bread and bread only. Not to go and fight the daughter of the Fire Lord!" Reinala said loudly as she set down her tea. "You could have gotten hurt and-" She stopped her lecture as a heavy cough befell on her. Clenching her chest, she fell into a ball. Zuko watched nervously as Rei quickly got up and assisted her mother. She led her out of the room as Zuko softly rubbed the back of his hand. He did not feel comfortable watching Rei's mother in such a state. It painfully reminded him of his mother..._

_Zuko looked up as Rei walked back into the room. She sat opposite of him and only glared into his eyes. He returned the glare and watched as the corner of Rei's mouth twitched._

"_Why don't you leave now? Your father did not give me my reward so I should not even treat you with respect."_

"_What my father did was wrong and he did not want to believe the fact that his daughter lost, to a peasant girl for that matter."_

_Rei chuckled to herself as she rested her hands on the table, sitting Indian-style. Zuko smiled a bit, imagining the rage his sister was going through, because of her unpredictable lost. Soon, his smile faded as the room was filled with an awkward silence. Seeing there was nothing to say anymore, maybe he should depart now._

"_My mother is sick as you can see," Rei whispered as she rubbed the back of her left hand. "She has been this way for months and her health is slowly declining. She barely can walk now and I just wanted to help her. I wanted to get a little money for her to go she a doctor and buy some medicine. My father...is a monster. A horrible father and an even horrible husband. He abandoned my mother and I just for a higher position in the army. He told us that we were not that important..."_

_Zuko watched as the girl held back her tears and clenched her teeth in rage. He could hear the distance coughs from the hall and rubbed his arm uncomfortably, not knowing what to do._

"_My life is kind of the same way," Zuko softly replied as the girl stared at him bewildered._

"_How?"_

"_It's a long story..."_

"_Trust me, I have time."_

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_Zuko drew his hand back and thrust it forward, sending out a large fireball. Rei nodded her head and did the exact same thing. Zuko nodded in approval and Rei slightly blushed and smile. He felt proud that he was teaching someone firebending. Awkwardly, he felt that she should be teaching him since she defeated his sister. Rei excused herself, saying she was going to check on her mother and ran into the shrine. Since they were outside, he could examine the shrine fully. He learned that she and her mother were priestess and this place use to be blooming with business. However, the war did not allow for it to last long. That's how she was able to create that violent barrier._

"_Is that your new girlfriend?" Azula asked as she stepped from behind a tree, her two best friends, Mai and Ty Lee, beside her. Mai's eyes were filled with tears as she watched Zuko teach the peasant girl some firebending moves. She was not going to allow for her crush to be taken from someone of such low status. "You might as well just live here and not cause us the trouble."_

"_What do you want!" Zuko demanded, knowing his sister was up to no good. Then, fire arrows rained down on the shrine, causing it to go up in flames in seconds. Zuko watched horribly as soldiers jumped from behind the tree. Rei ran out terrified and angry as she watched the scene._

"_What are you doing!"_

"_We were ordered to destroy the shrine that lies here, by my father of course," Azula replied as the soldiers slowly advanced. Rei growled furiously and turned on her heel, running back to get her mother. Before she could, the entrance collapsed and so did the rest of the shrine. _

_Blank amethyst eyes watched as everything went up in flames, knowing her mother could not survive such a state. Zuko also watched in horror as Rei's mother did not come out of the shrine. Azula laughed loudly and crossed her arms. "You should not mess with forces much stronger then you. Zuko, I believe it is time to go." _

"_No!" Rei shouted and sent a fire blast at Azula, scarring her upper right arm. The soldiers gasped in surprise. Rei breathed heavily and shook with terrifying rage. How dare they come and kill her mother and her home! She did not care who that girl was, she was going to die! _

"_You stroke the princess! That crime is rewarded with death!" _

_Rei only spun on her heel and dashed into the forest as night fell upon them. The soldiers quickly followed as Mai and Ty Lee hovered over the enraged Azula. "That girl is going to pay! I want her to die by my hands and my hands alone!"_

_With that said, Azula jumped up and followed the soldiers, her two best friends behind her. Mai took a quick glance at Zuko and watched as he stood there, the shrine turning to ashes in mere minutes._

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Zuko woke with a start as the dream faded from his mind. He scanned the area as he breathed heavily, clenching his chest. He lied near a river bank as his ostrich horse slept peacefully next to him. Why did he have that dream...that past vision? Was it because...he just lost someone by the hands of Azula? Uncle...

Zuko lied back down, hating his sister more and more for the things she wrongfully caused. Then, his mind wandered to the girl in his past vision. Rei, did Azula kill her too? She bragged about how she showed that peasant girl what was coming for attacking a princess. But Azula always lies...Azula always lies.

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"Help!" Sokka exclaimed as he ran out of the forest and to the campsite. Aang, Katara, and Toph stared bewildering at Sokka as he ran to them with a large sum of bananas. Momo came and grabbed a pair and handed one to Appa. The others also grabbed themselves some bananas and devoured them happily.

"Um, yeah, I was screaming help for a reason," Sokka mumbled as everyone continued to ignore him. Then, a herd of angry monkeys charged towards them, chasing anyone that had a banana.

"Sokka! Where did you get these bananas exactly?" Katara shouted while running from the wild beasts, everyone following her lead. Appa flew up into the air, the group finding no time to hop on his back.

"They were just lying in a pile so I just thought it was some sort of blessing!" Sokka replied while receiving a slap from Toph.

Soon, they ran into a dead end and turned to face the angry monkeys. Toph was ready to face them, but Aang held his hand out in front of her. "What are you doing?"

"We should not fight these monkeys."

"Why! And get ourselves killed by them!"

Suddenly, a black blur appeared in front of them. They blinked in confusion as the caped figure lightly slid her foot across the ground and an earthquake of fire erupted in front of the beasts. They shouted in fright and immediately ran back in the other direction. Everyone stared in awe, but quickly changed their attitude when noticing they were a firebender. Jumping in a fighting stance, they were not sure if it was Zuko, his sister, or someone after them.

They turned around, heavily clothed so you could not tell the gender. However, they lowered their mask to show amethyst eyes filled with concern. "Are you kids alright?"

"Kids! We're not all kids!" Sokka shouted and Katara slapped him on the head.

"Excuse my brother. We are thankful for your help."

"No problem, you guys should be careful..." the voice was blurred by the mask and a smile could be seen under it. They turned around and begun walking away, but a hand grabbed their arm.

"Wait, can we thank you with something to eat? Or at least know your name?" Aang kindly asked as he stared at her eyes, never seeing anyone with such an eye color. The person smiled again and nodded their head, agreeing to the dinner.

"My name is Rei and you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Avatar

Sorry for the long wait, my summer life was more complicated then I excpected. Enjoy and review.

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Katara eyed the clothed figure suspiciously as they continue to deny the food that was offered. Why in the world was they denying the food, unless, they did not want their identity revealed. She could not even tell if the person was female or male, old or young, because they wore heavy clothing. The person name is Rei, sounded like a girl's name, but could not be sure. Heck, the heavy cloth around their mouth muffle their voice.

The waterbender frown annoyingly as Sokka tried to flirt with the mask figure, she prayed that the person was a male just to see the look on Sokka's face. Toph kept reminding everyone, especially Sokka, that Rei was a firebender and every firebender they ran into was bad news. Aang seemed to had fun talking to the mysterious being, trying to learn everything he could from the person; he found them so amazing that he asked them to be his teacher for firebending. The guest raised their eyebrows in surprise and widen their mysterious purple eyes.

"I don't think I can kid," Rei mumbled and resulted in Sokka reminding them that they are not kids. "I'm kind of in a predicament right now and I am having rough times. I would love too, but I may be putting you guys in danger-"

"I knew you was no good," Toph shouted and stood up rapidly, sliding her foot forward causing the rock the person was sitting on falling across the field.

"Lets not jump to conclusion!" Aang shouted and ran to help her, but his steps went deeper into the ground the more he ran. Soon, he was buried in the ground from the chest down, causing a twitch in his eyebrow.

"I don't want to fight!" came the muffled voice as they jumped only to get knock down again. Toph slowly advance towards the clothed figure as they struggle to get away from the young girl. Who would of thought a group of kids was such a major threat? However, as she jumped from one of Toph attacks, a pile of dirt jumped from the ground and on top of the prey. Toph smiled in triumph as everyone else watched horrified. However, the dirt that pummeled the intruder slowly begun to melt and relieving a lovable gasp from Sokka.

There, in the melted pool of clay, was a heavy breathing female dressed in all black as her fully bloomed chest, in Sokka's eyes, fell up and down to match her angered breathing. Her ninja-like outfit fit her curves perfectly as Sokka slowly floated towards her with hearts within his eyes. Toph quickly stopped him by slamming her hand in his face and raised a curious eyebrow at the female. Her sweaty silky hair blanketed her as sweat beamed from her forehead. With a quick swift from her hand, a thin slice of fire flew towards Toph and Sokka, which she stopped with a wall of rocks.

"I told you I don't want to fight you!" Rei yelled as she stood up and half of her hair flowed in front of her which caused Sokka to see the must beautiful woman in the world. He dove towards her legs and clamped them tightly, not wanting to let this dream pass by. The teenage face turned to disgust as Sokka drooled heavenly. She tried to shake him off, but he was holding on for dear life. "Eww, get off of me you nasty pervert!" Before anything could be proceeded, a blast of water sent Sokka flying a few feet away.

"Ka-ta-ra! Why did you do that?" Sokka yelled and squeezed the water from his clothing and hair. Katara blinked in confusion, only to state that she did not blast him, even though she wanted to.

"Looking for me?" a soft, timid voice stated as everyone looked their sides, Rei's eyes widen with joy. A female of the same structure as Rei smiled innocently at the group as she held a bucket of water under one arm. She wore the same attire as Rei only hers was a dark blue. Her short, silky, blue hair matched perfectly with her bright eyes.

"Ami!"

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Zuko rode quickly on his ostrich horse as quickly as possible. He didn't mean to fall asleep near the river, and defiantly not wonder about the memory that resurfaced into his sleep. Uncle was still unconscious and very vulnerable in the place he was resting at. Commanding his ride to go faster, his face twisted up at the thought of anything happening to his uncle.

Approaching the abandoning hut upon the desert hill, he jumped off his ostrich horse and dashed into the hut.

"Uncle!" he shouted and ran to the entrance of the door. His body relaxed a bit after seeing his uncle resting peacefully. He released a sigh of relief as he stumbled into the hut and sat next to his uncle. He removed the rag that covered his uncle wound and winced at the damages. Wiping the blood that still lingered, he could not help but think of the wrongs of Azula's actions and how she been torturing his life since he was born.

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_Zuko watched as Rei drunk the last of the tea hungrily. She clenched her stomach and eyed the prince, knowing he was not use to being hungry. However, she grew respect for the prince after learning how his father treated him compared to his sister. Zuko turned his head towards the window, seeing it was still morning._

"_How about we go look for something to eat?" Zuko asked, causing the peasant girl to eye him. "Your mother is ill and I don't think she should go without eating."_

"_Haunting for a hog in the forest is a dangerous thing. They travel in packs and will chase you until the very end. Besides, I don't want to harm a whole family just to get one."_

"_You do not have to, just find one that strays away from everyone else."_

_Rei eyed him for a moment, hesitant about the suggestion but agreed when her stomach growled loudly. She went to inform her mother on the mission and met Zuko outside of the shrine. Rei could not help but wander why he followed her. She mean really, why chase her home where it is completely dangerous? She only shrugged the thought off and pulled at his finely crafted sleeve. However, she stopped to feel the rest of his arm, then traveled down to his stomach._

_What the heck? Zuko only watched as Rei felt his body with a lost look in her eyes. When she begun to travel downwards..._

"_What are you doing! Stop!" he exclaimed and slapped her hands away with a blush on his face. He suddenly felt violated and begun to straighten his clothing again. He was now quite fond of girls yet, found them stupid. They giggled and whispered while pointing; don't they know how rude that is? Besides, he knew this girl couldn't have reached puberty yet._

"_Sorry, I was just feeling the materials of your attire. Um, my mother and I use to have stuff like that," Rei only mumbled and begun to walk off. Zuko couldn't help but feel pity for the girl. It must have been horrible to lose everything like that. Oh, he could not see himself without his belongings that only a prince like himself could have. But enough about him, no...it was about him. When he becomes the Fire Lord he will win the war and stop the mayhem so that nothing like this could happen to another being._

_While he was gloating in the moment, Rei only stared at the dumb expression on his face. The expression of pride and royalty, the expression of people she hated. Yet, she could not find any hatred towards the prince. His lifestyle was not fancy, seeing that he gets little respect from his father and his mother disappeared one fine morning. Kid had it hard she guess, but no where near as hard as herself._

"_Look!" Zuko lightly shouted as he stopped the both of them. Pushing her into a bush, he pointed to a group of wild hogs that grazed at the grass. "Now all we have to do is sit here and wait for one to walk off by himself."_

"_Sounds great and all, but why don't you just go home and be fed ridiculously large amounts of food that will just be thrown out, huh? I mean, why are you helping me? It's not like royalty to come down and help someone catch dinner."_

"_Because...I like you, simply put."_

_Rei felt her whole body go red as the words floated out of his mouth. He...he...he... liked her? Out of all the people, he chose some peasant girl? She never been liked before (she was the fullest of a tomboy) and certainly not by a prince, that was only in fairytales! Besides, would his father even accept her, the person who defeated, and most defiantly humiliated, his daughter? She guess that did not matter, something would be worked out and her mother would be proud as well! She could even get her mother the right medicine! Even if she did not completely like him like that, she sure she would grow on him and the most important concern right now is to get her mother cured for whatever cost._

_Zuko, out of the corner of his eye, noticed she had her eyes to the sky and clasped her chin with her hands. Oh dear, girls always seem to get the wrong idea. "I mean as a friend."_

_A gush of wind swirled by as Rei sat frozen in the same position. However, she turned her devil filled eyes toward him, causing Zuko to crawl back some. One more thing about girls, they seem to have sudden mood swings. She clenched her teeth in rage and sprang towards him, only to have him roll away. The wild hogs heard the rampage and scattered off, causing Zuko to mope; having to sit there for nothing._

"_How, how dare you say it like that! You don't know anything about girls!" Rei shouted with rage and continued to clench and unclench her hands. Zuko was about to argue what did he do wrong, but immediately paused after seeing the tears swell in her eyes and her hiccupping softly. "You...you let my hopes get so high, my heart sing with joy, then you just...ugh, I hate you, jerk! Just go and leave my mother and I alone to rot in peace!" _

_With that said, she stormed back home, the tears managing to escape the barricade of emotions. Zuko only stared dumbfounded at the sky, what in the world did he do wrong!_

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	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Avatar

Hmm...is this the longest chapter I ever written?

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The fire nation...how could she have been born into such a race. Selfish and power-hungry. Standing near the edge of the lake, Rei watched the stars sparkle in the sky as she balled her hands into fists. For the good of the people? Not likely. She felt her eyes tremble as she thought of her past and the family she once had. They were not for the good, but only for the worse. However, hope was still climbing the mountain of destruction. The Avatar, Aang, was here and alive, learning the ways of the four elements to defeat Lord Ozai. To defeat the royal family of the fire nation...to defeat Zuko...

Sokka only watched the raven-haired beauty through the thicken trees, a sigh escaping between his lips. Ami, the new waterbender in the group, explained Rei's past and how they were a small resistance against the fire nation. Almost having her village completely destroyed by the fire nation, Ami devoted herself in defeating the fire lord no matter the cost. All in all, Katara admired the waterbender and begged her to stay and teach Aang (and mostly herself) the waterbender moves she was taught. The blue-haired agreed happily, but her comrade still didn't like the thought of traveling with children. That's when Aang had to step in.

"Hey," Aang greeted as he slowly walked next to the firebender and followed her glaze to the sky. "I know this is like my fifth time asking, but I really do need a firebender teacher. I know you want to defeat the fire nation, but you will need the help from the Avatar that mastered all four elements. Frequently, I only_ really _mastered airbending, I'm still working on the other three. So if you could-"

"I'll do it."

"Huh?"

"I've been thinking, do I really stand a chance against Fire Lord Ozai? I couldn't stop him when I was ten. Even though I learned over the years, I know he has as well. You're the Avatar, you should be able to defeat him...with my help of course."

Aang's eyes lit up as he shouted into the sky, finally having the teachers he needed to master the elements. However, Rei only frowned to the heavens, knowing the task at hand was going to be difficult, for him and for herself. If the royal family were to defend for...if she or Aang had to go...

"We start tomorrow morning at sunrise. Meet me on the other side of this lake, if you are late, that proves to me that you do not want my teaching as badly as you say."

With that said, she turned on her heel and walked by the lake's edge with a demanding composer. Oh man, she could be as worse as Toph...

"You sly dog!" Sokka exclaimed as he clenched his arm around the airbender's neck and squeezed his cheek with his free hand. "You're going to spend some alone time with Rei so early in the morning! Mind if I join you?"

Slapping his arm away, Aang stared at Sokka strangely with a blush on his face. He turned to his side and crossed his arms. "We are only training!"

"Sure...hey did you hit puberty yet? Probably since you are like one hundred and twelve years old!"

Aang only grunted and walked back to the campsite as Sokka continued to tease the humiliated Avatar.

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Darkness surrounded everyone and everything as the wind whistled between the leaves and the clouds looming around the moon. What...did she get herself into?

Pain.

Her foot made a sound as she stepped deeper into the mud, the creatures around running from her presence.

Fear.

The world was corrupted, her world was corrupted. War has been going on for over hundred years and here she is, thinking she could make a difference.

Hope?

A smirk made its way to her lips as she ceased her walking. Could she really...make a difference in the world? A difference in her world?

Not likely.

Helping the Avatar?

Maybe.

The firebender turned around quickly to catch the leg of an intruder, an intruder who tried to attack. All she could make out was a smirk and fiery eyes, eyes that had kill all over it. Having the leg yanked out of her grip, she stumbled back a bit and stood in an offensive stance, feeling the stranger did as well.

"Well, well, we still do the same exact thing when getting into a fight!"

An offensive stance? A feminine voice? Filled with high-praise and cockiness. Could it be?

The firebender was caught off guard as two fireballs were thrust from her intruder's hands and into her chest, blocking the attack with her arms, she was sent flying back.

Dirty tricks.

"Azula," Rei growled as she rubbed her arms to cease the burning sensation. The dirty little princess she haven't seen in five years. The perfect person to let her anger out on and the perfect person to kill to get her vengeance. A quick kick was sent for her head again, but, as before, it was caught with both arms. The burning sensation returned. Losing the battle against the burns, her grip on the leg begun to tremble and lower as pressure was place on the leg. Digging the back of her feet into the ground, she held her posture, the burning increasing. Noticing the struggle, Azula's smirk increased as she leaped slightly into the air and placing all her weigh on the captured leg. Finally, it made contact with the side of her head.

Rei stumbled back as she fell to one knee, trying to regain focus on her surrounding. Azula landed gracefully onto the ground as she watched the priestess struggle to stand up without falling back down. Pathetic. If she heard correctly, she could have swore she heard something crack. Huh, maybe she went just a little overboard this time. Pitiful.

"So, you're a runaway just like my brother. I knew the two of you were perfect for each other! I mean, the fire nation has both of you guys heads on wanted posters!"

A pause. Azula could see her little friend stop midway of trying to stand up. Ohhhh, a weak spot. She could most defiantly use this to her advantage. Capture the peasant girl, use her for bait in bringing her sad excuse for a brother out of hiding, kill them both at the same time. Flawless. The girl was standing up again. Azula pulled her arm back and flung forward a stripe of lightning. The peasant girl stepped aside, but it wasn't quick enough as the attack made contact with her side, ripping the clothing above her hip, as well as her skin. She fell down again, tsh, was this really the brat she fought with five years ago?

"Argh!"

Multiple fireballs were aimed for her face as she quickly stepped back to deflect them. She hated staying on the defensive side! Before she could counterattack, a wall of fire rose in her path, causing her to step back even further. Only people who wielded fire so well could create such a defensive maneuver. Footsteps were heard running away from her and some approaching. What! She was running away!

"Coward!"

Whenever a foot would touch the ground, it would immediately be shot up again. She had to get to those kids as quickly as possible, but it was difficult when your left side burned increasingly. But, why? Why was Azula out of the safety of the fire nation and out on her own? Questions aside for now.

"Pack everything up and lets get going now!" Rei commanded as she entered the campsite and begun to roll up sleeping bags. Ami gasped lightly and walked up to her friend, trying to examine her wound but only succeeded in getting her hand slapped away. "I said hurry!"

Everyone did what she said with no questions, her wound proving something dangerous was near (Toph couldn't do anything). Packing the last baggage, Aang grabbed Toph around the waist and hopped onto Appa's back, everyone else following after him. Giving Appa the right command, the giant bison took off and headed towards the skies.

"Now," Ami begun and splashed Rei's wound with water from her bottle. "I believe we deserve an explanation."

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Zuko lowered his hat as he examined the items in the store. Nothing, they had nothing that they needed...well...maybe not he. His uncle examined and admired everything in the store as if it all were antiques. Apparently, he forgot the main reason why they stopped in the store or this village in the first place. Growling, he turned abruptly to the door and marched out, going to find the items he needed by himself.

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"We need to restock on our first aid kit," Katara stated as she watched Ami finish bandage up Rei's wound while Appa landed near an entry to a village. "So we split up, find what we need and be gone before anyone notices, alright? Um, Toph, you can come with me or keep Appa company."

"I'll go with the second option."

"Alright, people lets go!"

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"It's towards the back of the store," the clerk advised the male firebender as he pointed in the direction he needed to go. Only nodding in reply, Zuko walked pass drunken earthbenders and to the back of the store. There, on a middle shelf were bandages and other related materials. He grabbed it and proceeded in picking it up, but something yanked it away from him.

"Hey, I-"

"Sorry, but I thought I saw it first."

He could feel a sudden thud against his chest as soften, purple eyes stared at him curiously. She looked...she looked exactly like the girl in his awkward dreams, her purple eyes...something he never saw a firebender possess and how it matched the highlights in her hair. She was one of a kind and he knew that she was most defiantly the peasant girl.

Which means...

"Azula didn't kill you!"

"Excuse me?"

Rei continued to eye the boy suspiciously causing him to look away after the sudden outburst. How did he know she was fighting Azula...could it be, he was working with her as well? She could see his nervous expression, that had to be the reason.

Zuko watched out of the corner of his eye as the girl drop the bandages to the ground and took a few steps back, placing her outstretched hands in front of her. An offensive stance.

"Wait, I-!"

Quickly twirling to the side, he dodged her fireball attack, losing his hat in the process. Imitating her pose, he could hear the people in the store screaming that the fire nation was among them. As he watched the people scurry out the store, he could hear a chuckle from his attacker.

"Pitiful, you must be a firebender by the color of your eyes. However, I see that you have lost an Agni Kai by the scar on your face. So, you must be among the upperclass, pity, what they do, lower your status so now you travel among different cultures to hide your shame?"

He flinched.

'So, it must be true.'

A quick fireball was sent for the girl's chest, but she countered it with an attack of her own. He didn't care if she was the girl from his dreams, he was not going to let her talk about his honor! Continuing to attack the girl, she only blocked his attacks, careful not to set the store in flames.

"Hey, you guys over here! Rei is fighting Zuko!"

A pause.

A fireball made contact with her upper, left leg as she stumbled back and fell to the floor. The male she was fighting, quickly turned on his feet and headed for the door.

"Zuko..."

He paused, turning slightly to face her. Closing his eyes shamefully, he pushed his way pass the Avatar and his approaching friends.

What...just happened?

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Isn't it strange?

How your life could be so perfect, so right?

To be greeted by the gentle touches of the sun and feel that everything was right in the world? To wake up to a smiling face and feel their loving aura five rooms away? To know that you are wanted and know that someone is there to love you? You smile and giggle as you scurry to put your finest clothing on and hurry to your mother and father as they greet you with loving-feel words. You feel that nothing could go wrong and know that nothing ever will.

Then...

It happens.

The sun cannot reach through the barricades of trees that have grown so large. The smiling face replaced with the illness that doesn't care for your well-being. Your father abruptly leaving without a care, without a word to his only child. The loving-feel words soon went away and decided not to come back, however, but was replaced with worry and pain. Only destructed words reached the soul and begun to corrupt it the way that it pleased...to make me.

But you think to yourself.

Was I the only one to have this shady life?

I look around from my position, lying down on my side as I pretended to be asleep on the back of Appa. I see...a struggle.

I see Katara and Sokka.

They lost their mother to the hands of the merciless killers. Their father is off with the rest of the tribe males to help the Earthbenders fight the fire nation. Their village on high-alert...a struggle.

I see...loneliness.

I see the Avatar.

No one wanted to play with the young boy seeing that he was not an equal. He wanted to play, but the monks forbidden him to do so. One hundred years stuck in an iceberg and every airbender dead, to be the only one alive...to be lonely.

I see...a misunderstood soul.

I see Toph.

Her parents did not expect the expert earthbender the way that she was and placed her under high security. She was suffocating...she was misunderstood.

I see...a fight.

I see Ami.

She joined my little resistance group after her village was completely destroyed, who once had a happy life living the ways of the waterbenders...but would not give up that life...without a fight.

But their is someone here that I do not see...that is abandoned.

Someone who I would like to see...

To hear their story.

About a prince that was in a struggle, that possessed loneliness, a fight, and a misunderstood soul.

Who held onto a shady life.

Just as I do.

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_Rei sat grumpily in her empty room as she muttered evil things about the prince of the fire nation. He was self-conscious, snotty, spoiled, and any other adjective she could think of that remained her of the prince. She wandered if he was okay...she did leave him suddenly and it was getting late...no! He probably went home to be spoiled with large amounts of food and goods. Food...she clamped her arms over her stomach as her belly rumbled. Whatever happened to the princes that were all for helping the damsel in distress? Did they pack up and move to a less self-righteous place? She sighed heavily as she fiddled with her torn sheets on her futon, thinking about how life use to be...how she wanted life to be..._

"_Uh-hu."_

_The peasant girl turned hastily around as she stared wide-eyed at the sight, her mouth dropping subconsciously. The prince she talked so rudely about stood there, in her doorway, with a small hog by his feet and a hand rubbing the back of his head nervously. She watched as he approached her, his clothes covered in mud and debris, and sit on his legs, his hands gripping his pants. What was he doing?_

"_If you are here to try anything funny then you can forget it. I know you are a prince and all and you must expect me to do as you say but you can kiss that dream good-bye! I would never do something as low as that. I mean you are, as I was talking to myself before, a self-conscious, snotty, spoiled,-"_

_Zuko only stared at her as she talked on and on about...whatever. His sudden nervous state was replaced with anger. What was she talking about!_

"_Look, I came here to only apologize about earlier!"_

"_Oh, so you don't like me after all, not even as a friend! You idiot! Why did you come back here? Your presence just makes me want to vomit, I mean you think you are better then everyone else and you can say whatever you want, but not here you can't! And another thing, you-"_

_She did it again! Was all girls like this? Going on and on about nothing and getting the wrong idea? Didn't she realize he sat there for hours trying to get this hog for her? Ugh, what was she talking about again!_

"_What are you talking about! I came here to apologize about hurting your feelings stupid girl! Can you just take my gift and shutup!"_

_This caused Rei to cease her bickering and blink in confusion. He...killed that hog for her? As an apology present? Maybe...she was wrong about the prince...he...he called her stupid!_

"_I'm not the stupid one here! How dare you call me that you sad excuse for a prince!"_

_Zuko stood up irritably and took a step forward, pointing an angry finger at the girl. "What! I waste my hold day trying to get this hog for you and you just sit here and complain about the stupidest things! Girls are so...stupid!"_

"_What! You irritable little boy! How dare you say that again! Just let me stand up and we will really see who is stupid!" As she did what she said, she felt her feet get entangled with her sheets and soon felt herself losing her balance and falling to her side. Just as she was about to hit the fall, she felt someone grab around her waist and landed on something much softer then the floor. _

"_Stupid girl, if you would have got hurt, who would take care of your mother?"_

_Um...why did he exactly save this girl...from a fall to the floor? However, her laying atop of him like this...felt different from when one of Azula's friends fell on top of him. That time he was furious and upset, but now he felt..._

"_Don't call me stupid...stupid..."_

_He watched as the girl held a blush upon her cheeks and squeezed her hands into a ball. Why didn't she get off of him? Man, girls were weird! But...he didn't push her off of him. Strangely, the girl rested her head on his chest and her blush increased. Okay, he was now officially freaked out._

"_You know..."_

"_Huh?"_

"_I miss being held."_

_With that said, Zuko flung the girl off him and eyed her suspiciously as he sat up and crossed his legs. She landed with a thump on her behind and she growled enraged. "Why did you do that!"_

"_You was freaking me out!" _

"_I'm not going to do anything to you! You are stupid!"_

"_You're stupid!"_

"_No you are!"_

"_You are!"_

"_You are, stupid!"_

_Rumble_

_Rei blushed humiliated and grabbed her stomach in a failing attempt to stop the noise. Zuko only watched her and chuckled, standing up and walking to her with an outstretched hand. "Come on, how about we go eat and practice some firebending afterwards?"_

_She stared at his hand as if it was mutated and possessed over hundred diseases. What's with...the sudden mood change? Maybe he was trying to do something funny, that smile was not normal! However, she took it nevertheless, her stomach growls as loud as the sound of her voice. _

_As he pulled her up, she could feel herself blush as she watched his golden eyes. She didn't see many people with a shade of gold like his. Her blush even increased as he continued to hold her hand as he dragged the killed animal out of the room and down the hall. _

"_Don't get any ideas. I still do like you as friends and friends can hold hands. Besides, you look like you could fall out any minute, stupid."_

_Rei stuck her tongue out playfully at him and held his hand tighter as she rested her head on his armored shoulder, enjoying the moment while Zuko only shook his head...girls were weird...but he liked this weird one. _

_The prince felt pity for the girl and was happy that nothing like this would ever happen to him. The prince of the fire nation._

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Who would of knew that that was going to be the last noble memory they would share together.

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"Let me get this straight, you encounter this girl today that you believe was the same girl from your childhood? Hm, would this be the same girl that you use to talk about when you were eleven? How you would tell me how evil she was and how girls were stupid and blush whenever you thought of her? You would say something nice about her then get on the subject of her being evil again and-"

Iroh stopped his sudden string of sentences as he leaped back to avoid his nephew's attack. He only watched as Zuko sat on a finely large rock by a lake, his eyes never leaving from it. Huh, this girl seemed to really bother him deeply, he never exactly saw him this quiet...or concerned before. Frequently, he begun to become worry himself, something else was bothering his nephew and it was bothering him greatly.

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I watched as uncle put out the campfire and huddle in a freshly new sleeping bag he brought from that village with many of the other useless things he purchased. That village...I looked down at my hands and examined them carefully. That girl...was from memories, not dreams. That girl name was Rei and her whole world was destroyed by the royal family, because of me. Though, what she said was all true and she knew that just by looking at me. Did everyone see me like that, just by the scar on my face? My hand traced over it and tried to cover the hideous blemish but to no success.

At less she was still alive, Azula didn't do all those things she said she did to the peasant girl...wait...was I now a peasant as well? Was I even still a prince...a member of the royal family? Once people realize who I am, I am treated like dirt. Even if I capture the Avatar, would I really be welcomed back? Do I want to be welcomed back to such a life? I look around and I see so many people suffer, because of this war. Is this war even worth it anymore? I sigh, it is so much that I don't understand and probably don't want too.

What to do with my life now? I'm on wanted posters, clearly I am not important anymore. Now that I think about it...I don't feel important. I am just like Rei, I once had everything but now it is all gone and I am a wanderer. Huh, I always seem to bring that peas- that girl back into my head, the memories of the time with her resurfacing more now that I remember it being true.

She was with the Avatar, probably teaching him firebending so he could master the four elements and defeat my father. You know...that idea doesn't sound so far-fetched anymore, I actually like it.

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"We have been flying for forever and it is getting late! Can we please land somewhere so I can feel more at ease?" Toph complained as she rolled onto her stomach on the side of the saddle that rested on Appa's back. She heard someone crawl pass her and whisper something to the driver. With a sudden drop in her stomach, she could feel that they were descending and with a rough thud, they had landed. Jumping off of the giant bison, Toph rubbed her feet against the ground, glad to feel some familiar turf.

"Hey! Aren't we in the same area as from last night!" Sokka stated and examined his surroundings with curiosity. "Yes, it is!"

"Stop complaining and help unload this stuff," Katara commanded as she threw a bag down to Aang. The Avatar watched as the female firebender slide down Appa and walk (more like limp) to the lakefront causing a bag to hit him square in the head. "Sorry Aang!"

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Uncle Iroh awoke with a large yawn as he scratched his stomach and smiled brightly. He greeted his nephew a good morning but did not see him near him. Looking up, he spotted him upon the same rock, in the same position. Was he there all night? Sighing, he got up and walked to the young prince making sure he didn't have bags under his eyes. In return, he surprisingly saw his nephew staring wide-eyed across the lake with a light blush. Raising an eyebrow, Iroh followed his gaze and chuckled in reply. Across the lake was the girl from the other day, bending down near the water edge, seeming to clean wounds. Before the retired general could say something in reply, his nephew jumped off of the rock and begun to run alongside the lake, making sure not to be notice by the company on the other side. Young people these days do the strangest things. Well, guess he had to make breakfast this morning, now, off to find some woods.

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Zuko watched carefully as the female firebender seemed to clean her wound that looked recent. She lowered the upper part of her outfit but to Zuko's relief, she had bandages wrapped around her chest. Thankfully, the group she traveled with was still asleep and she begun to clamp her hands together under the water. Raising her hands, she begun to pour the water onto her scarred side. After accomplishing the goal of cleaning up, she begun to poke her hand in and out of the hole she had on the side of her attire, not knowing what to do about it.

Would this be a good time to go talk to her? He wanted to know what happened to her after the incident years back. He preceded forward but then immediately stopped, another thought coming into his mind. What if she didn't want to talk to him? It was his sister, after all, that ruin her life and his fault for being there with her in the first place. As he battled with himself mentally, he did not notice someone approach him from behind.

"You know, you really should just go and talk to her instead of spying."

Twirling around startled, Zuko inspected a girl with blue hair smiling at him as she held a bucket of water under her arms. She walked pass him but stopped, turning to face him. "You really should Prince Zuko."

"And I agree."

"Uncle?"

His uncle walked next to the girl and the two smiled. "You see, this nice young lady invited us to breakfast with them and I couldn't refuse since I was having a hard time by myself."

"But uncle-!"

"No buts, now, it is rude to keep people waiting."

Soon, Uncle grabbed Zuko by his arm and begun to drag him out from his hiding spot from between the trees. Zuko's shout of protest did not only get Rei's attention but seemed to wake the rest of the group up. The two, however, avoided eye contact and Aang floated up and ran to the two newcomers.

"Hi Zuko, what're you doing here?"

"Probably here to pick a fight," Sokka mumbled and sat up, rubbing his eyes to get the sting out. "But can we wait until like, afternoon? I'm hungry and really not in the mood."

"No, no, young one, we come here in peace. In fact, we came here to join you for breakfast."

"How nice," Toph mumbled and stood up, rubbing her feet against the ground. "Just like one happy family of the elements."

"You know, I'm going to join you guys later, right now, I'm going to make sure Azula isn't nearby," Rei stated as she finished putting back on her outfit properly.

"Azula was here?" Zuko asked seriously as his uncle placed his arms within his sleeves, closing his eyes in thought.

"Azula really is persisted, Zuko, I want you to go with this young lady and make sure Azula isn't near here. This really has become a serious matter."

Rei groaned mentally as Zuko walked next to her, indicating for them to proceed. She shouldn't have said Azula, she just wanted to get away by herself and mostly defiantly not get paired up with Zuko. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him from the group but realized how rough his attire was compared to his outfit he once had when he was young. She wander...when he was kicked out...

"Um..."

"Huh?"

"Nothing..."

It would be stupid to bring it up, right now, her goal was to focus for the devil's daughter. Though, she couldn't help but think...how and why did he get that scar on his face? Did he lose to Azula or maybe...

"I lost to my father," Zuko mumbled as he noticed that she continued to glance at his face and turn away a bit ashamed. "It's nothing so you shouldn't worry about it."

Nothing? To lose a Agni Kai was shameful enough, but to lose to your father and get exiled from your homeland is more then nothing. But she kept it to herself, not wanting to start anything that could upset him.

Zuko looked down to see that Rei walked with a very slight limp. It was his doing that caused her to do so and felt awful for it.

"Sorry about your leg, I didn't-"

"It's alright. I know you didn't mean too."

A pause.

"So um, what have you been doing since...er..."

Rei watched as a light blush appeared on his face and he begun to rub his neck nervously, just like he did when he wanted to apologize so long ago. A smile crept onto her face as the memory replayed in her head. "I have been fighting any fire nation army that comes my way, been doing it ever since then."

"I'm glad you are alive," Zuko mumbled again as his blush increased. Man, did he blush easily like this all the time? Rei slightly smiled, questions wanting to be asked lingered in her mind.

"But I'm not!" a voice shouted as lightning struck in front of the duo. Both jumping back, Azula leaped from a tree and displayed her famous smirk. "So, you two finally got together. Well, now I can kill you both right here and right now! Then, I can capture the Avatar and have father pleased with me for accomplishing such an easy task and not with you."

'What?' Rei thought confused as Zuko charged towards his sister enraged, Azula only smirking at his actions. 'Capturing...the Avatar?'

Wait.

There were two more auras.

There were more people hidden in the trees!

"Zuko, get back!"


End file.
